Clothes locker



June 23, 1953 v c, sTERBA 2,643,171

CLOTHES LOCKER Filed May 4, 1951 F. 20 27 l8 INV R:

Edwurd C-Sterbu Attorney Patented June 23,1953

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOTHES LOCKER Edward G. Sterba, Western Springs, Ill.

Application May 4, 1951, Serial No. 224,605

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to improvements in clothes lockers.

An important object of my invention is to provide a clothes locker construction, or cabinet, which will afford considerable more working space, thereabout, when persons are engaged in using the lockers.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cabinet which has a multiple number of clothes lockers, and which has for its principal feature doors on each of its sides; the doors making available alternate clothes lockers 0r compartments on either side, and the doors on one side of the cabinet being staggered,'with respect to the doors on the opposite side'of the cabinet; thus making available considerable more Working space for persons utilizing the lockers for disrobing or enrobing.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved clothes locker structure, which is positioned with its end against a wall, which makes possible arranging the said clothes cabinets in parallel relationship with benches therebetween to make it convenient for people using the lockers to have the greatest amount of room available for dressing and undressing.

A further object of my invention is to provide a clothes locker structure, which occupies a minimum of space and affords a greater amount of space for the persons utilizing the said lockers; the structure being of such simple elemental design as to lend itself readily for economical manufacture in quantity production.

Other objects, ancillary advantages and inherent features will become apparent from reference to the accompanying drawings, elucidated further in the ensuing description, wherein like symbols are used to designate like parts, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing a pair of cabinets, each provided with multiple clothes locker compartments positioned with their ends against a wall or similar abutment,

Fig. 2 is a top view showing the schematic arrangement of the locker and door structures so as to afford a maximum of Working space to persons utilizing the said lockers.

Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the lockers with doors shown open in order to show the relationship of the doors to the cabinet or clothes locker body.

Referring to the various views, my invention is generally designated 4, which indicates cabinets arranged in parallel relationship as seen in Fig. 1.

One cabinet is subdivided into a number of 2 clothes lockers, or compartments, designated re 'spectively 5, 6, l, and 8. The other cabinet is subdivided into clothes lockers I3, M, It, and it.

It will be noted, looking at Fig. 2, that the clothes locker 5 is accessible through the door 9, whereas the clothes locker l is accessible through the door l i.

The intermediate clothes locker 6, and the end locker 8 are provided with doors onthe opposite side of the cabinet, said doors being respectively designated ill and i2.

It is because of the staggered and alternate arrangement of the doors on opposite sides of the clothes cabinet {5, that the clothes lockers afford a maximum of operating space to persons using the said lockers when dressing and undressing.

It will be seen in Fig. 2, that persons seated on the bench 2 i, namely, the person 22 is facing the locker i3, whereas the person 23 is facing the locker 5; each having ample room, contrariwise with the use of the conventional construction of cabinets, wherein the doors are all on one side and one next to the other, persons are compelled to sit close together, in order to use adjacent lockers, hence said persons are interfering with one another and do not have sufficient room in which to operate.

Likewise the other cabinet 4 is provided with doors on alternate sides and staggered with respect to any particular side as indicated, ll being the door for locker i3, and i9 being the door for locker 15, whereas doors i8 and 20 provide access to lockers i4 and [6, respectively.

It will be noted that on the sides of the cabinets 4 facing one another, the doors of one side are also staggered with respect to those on the facing side, so that persons utilizing the said lockers will sit back to back and adjacent one to the other as shown by the illustrations 22 and 2-3.

The lockers proper are of conventional construction and are subdivided into two compartments, 26 representing a smaller compartment at the top for placing lunch boxes, hats and such other articles, whereas the lower section or the larger section 2'! is available for articles of apparel, such as clothing, shoes; suitable hangers being provided for hanging the clothes in proper position.

All the doors illustrated are furnished with suitable locks 29, and are arranged so that they may be opened to completely cover the adjacent locker space, which is accessible through the opposite side; thus furnishing ample room for the persons utilizing the particular locker.

The bench 2| is supported on suitable legs 25 3 and the locker structure is also provided, with feet 24 so as to support the same in position.

The doors are also suitably hinged so that they will function properly for opening and closing the same.

The important feature, which I Wish to stress as providing the advantages heretofore enumerated, namely that of making available maximum space for persons utilizing the lockers, resides in the arrangement of the cabinet structures, each of which is subdivided into a multiple number of clothes lockers, positioned wth its end against a wall 28 or other like abutment; alternate clothes lockers on any one side being made available, also alternate adjacent lockers being accessible on the opposing side, so that access to any number of lockers arranged or grouped as indicated, would furnish access to the first locker, third locker, fifth locker, etc., on one side, and the even numbered lockers, the second, the fourth, and the sixth on the opposite side. In placing the cabinets in parallel relationship, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the doors on the facing sides are also alternately arranged, which permits users 22 and 23 to sit in opposed positions, thus giving even more room to each person utilizing the locker structure.

Although I have herein described rather succinctly the nature and use of my invention so that persons skilled in the art will have no difiiculty apprising themselves of the teachings thereof and, inasmuch as the disclosure is susceptible of various alternations, modifications, and improvements, I hereby reserve the right to all modifications, alterations, and improvements falling within the scope and spirit of my invention, as Well as any modifications that are embraced suggestively in the accompanying drawings, and any that may come within the purview of the foregoing description; my invention to be limited only by the appended claim.

Having thus disclosed and revealed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A cabinet including two sides and subdivided into a multiplicity of clothes lockers, all of said lockers being provided with hinged door elements for accessibility thereto, the said door elements being disposed in alternate relationship on each of the said sides of the said cabinet, the door elements on one of the said sides of said cabinet being arranged in staggered relationship with respect to the door elements on the other of said sides of the said cabinet, the rear wall of intermediate lockers defining a spaced relationship between adjacent door elements.

EDWARD C. STERBA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 241,123 Danner May 10, 1881 722,709 Hunter Mar. 17, 1903 1,186,964 Armstrong June 13, 1916 1,838,469 Treiber Dec. 29, 1931 1,968,271 Thornton July 31, 1934 2,293,267 OBrien Aug. 18, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 342,834 Germany Jan. 5, 1920 

